Indirect fluorescence detection of phenolic compounds by capillary electrophoresis on a glass device

A micromachined capillary electrophoresis system has been fabricated on a glass device for the separation and indirect fluorescence detection of phenols. Using this device two phenols viz., 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol, were separated within 12 s compared to under 19 min on a conventional capillary electrophoresis system using direct ultraviolet detection. The precision of the glass device ranged from 12.7%–16.7% compared to 0.42%–4.9% for the conventional system. Both systems showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.8– 6.38 mM for the glass device and 5–130 μM for the conventional system. The relationship between temperature and high voltage with baseline drift was also investigated. These results provide a foundation for the development of a miniaturised chemical analysis system for the on-line analysis of phenols in water. Received: 24 January 2000 / Revised: 27 March 2000 / Accepted: 29 March 2000